


This Isn't a Date

by Saphean



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 13:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2193531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saphean/pseuds/Saphean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maylea Shepard is embarrassed to admit there were some everyday things she'd never done. Now it was time to put that right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Isn't a Date

Perched on the end of her bed, Maylea tried to think of a solution to the predicament she found herself in. For a few weeks now, the crew had been talking about the re-make of Fleet and Flotilla and she had decided that, seeing as they were heading for the Citadel, she might as well go and see it… the problem was who to take. For personal reasons she didn’t want to take everyone along, but she just couldn’t decide who she should ask. Finally, in desperation – they would be docking at the Citadel in a couple of hours, she made a list of everyone in her ground team then tried to imagine going to the cinema with them.  
Ashley and Kaidan were discounted straight away. If she invited one, the other would tag along and she had no intention of watching the film with their incessant whispering going on right next to her. Watching the film with Wrex would most probably end up with the two of them sharing a cell while C-Sec investigated the destruction of the cinema’s popcorn stand and the ‘attempted murder’ of the turian star of the film. Tali had seen the film that many times she knew the script word for word and would most likely end up making a trip to the cinema pointless by telling the entire film – word for word – on the way there. Liara would have been a good bet, except for two major flaws. First she would spend the whole time making notes under the heading ‘Shepard’s Social Secrets’ on some data-pad she’d somehow managed to sneak into the cinema. And second, she couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it. Joker was as bad as Liara for keeping secrets, if not worse, and would be snoring away within the first ten minutes of the film if he lasted that long – Fleet and Flotilla was a romance, not porn. So that left Garrus, but Maylea wasn’t sure where she stood with him. When they were out on the battlefield they chatted like old friends, throwing insults back and forth as though they’d been fighting together for years, not a couple of months, but back on the ship things were different. On the Normandy, Garrus avoided her like she had some kind of highly infectious disease, diving under the Mako to fix another mysterious problem that had suddenly cropped up every time she walked towards him.   
“Joker?” Maylea paced the room while she waiting for Joker’s usual grunt that indicated he was listening. “Tell Garrus I need to see him in my cabin… and tell him I know the Mako is just fine.”  
*** ***  
Walking into Maylea’s cabin, Garrus stopped just inside the door. “You wanted to see me, Commander?”  
Maylea looked up at Garrus, noting the way his eyes were darting around the room as though he was looking for every possible escape route.   
“Yes, I…” Maylea swallowed nervously. Five minutes earlier she’d had the whole conversation planned out in her head, but now it was like her mind had turned to mush, “Would you sit down… please?”   
Without saying a word, Garrus walked to the desk nearest the door and sat down on the chair beside it. He’d seen Maylea lose her cool with people when they messed up and jeopardised a mission, he’d seen her exhilarated after winning a hard fight – whether it was sparring or on the battlefield – but he’d never seen her like this.   
After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Maylea realised she was being stupid. She’d shouted down diplomats and politicians, she’d fought geth and she’d survived a thresher maw attack that had killed fifty other marines – though she tried not to think about that too often – but she faltered asking someone to accompany her to the cinema  
Taking a deep breath, Maylea sat forward slightly on the end of the bed, leaning her forearms on her thighs. “I’ve got a bit of a problem and I don’t want the rest of the crew finding out about it.”  
Garrus leant back in the chair. On the way up from the cargo bay he’d imagined all sorts of reasons why he might be summoned up to the CO’s cabin, from being told he was confined to the ship for the rest of the search to find Saren to being marched at gunpoint up to the CIC and tossed out of the air lock, but it turned out he’d been on completely the wrong track. The only reason she’d called him up there was because she knew he didn’t talk to the other crew members much, so anything she said was less likely to be spread about the ship.   
Looking at Maylea, Garrus realised he was disappointed… and also a bit angry. “And you thought I’d make a good sounding board because half the crew on this ship can’t look me in the eye?”  
As Garrus got up to leave, Maylea wondered what she’d said to get such an aggressive response. “Garrus? I’m not sure what you’re going on about.” Standing up she walked to where Garrus had stopped just by the door control. “I didn’t ask for you because half the crew are idiots who don’t realise the First Contact War was over twenty six years ago. I asked for you because I trust you not to gossip about my private business over tomorrow’s breakfast.”  
Standing with his hand poised over the button that would open the door, Garrus looked down at Maylea for a moment before dropping his hand and walking back over to the seat by the desk. “Alright. I’m listening.”  
Instead of sitting down again, Maylea started pacing the room, her fingers subconsciously curling a tendril of dark blonde hair that had escaped from the chignon she wore for work. “This film everyone’s been talking about, Fleet and Flotilla, I was thinking of going to see it, but I’ve never…”  
Watching Maylea, Garrus felt like throwing himself out of the airlock. This was obviously hard for her, and all he’d done was make it worse. “…You’ve never been to the cinema.”  
Garrus voice wasn’t questioning, but Maylea shook her head nonetheless. “They didn’t let street rats in, even if we had the money. Apparently it ‘lowered the tone of the establishment’. Anyway…” Maylea stopped pacing and stood with her back to Garrus, “I was wondering if you’d go with me?”  
*** ***  
Bringing the Normandy into dock at the Citadel, Joker glanced over his shoulder and saw Maylea standing by the airlock. “Going somewhere nice, Commander?”  
Maylea looked down at the clothes she was wearing, wondering for what seemed like the millionth time if the silvery-blue tunic top, dark charcoal grey trousers and black heeled boots she was wearing were suitable for a trip to the cinema. “Just to the cinema with Garrus.”  
“Garrus, eh?” Joker turned back to the console in front of him, but Maylea still saw the smirk that had spread across his face. “Didn’t know you had a thing for turians? Apart from Nihlus I mean.”  
Sighing, Maylea shook her head in exasperation. “It’s a trip to the cinema, Joker… not a date.”  
Joker carried on watching the console before him, waiting for the light that showed whether the docking clamps were engaged to change from green to red. “If you say so, Commander.”  
Leaning back against the wall, Maylea chose not to respond to Joker’s comment and just wait for Garrus to turn up. When he did, after another few minutes, she was pleasantly surprised.   
Reaching the airlock, Garrus stopped in front of Maylea. “Is everything alright? You look a bit… surprised.”  
Maylea looked at Garrus and smiled. “Everything’s fine. I’ve just never seen you in anything but armour before.” Taking a step forwards, Maylea placed her hand on Garrus’ arm. “You should lose the armour more often.”  
Sitting in his chair on the bridge, Joker barely managed to stifle a laugh. “Are you sure this isn’t a date, Commander? Because it sure sounds like one from where I’m sitting.”  
*** ***  
Reaching the ticket office for the cinema, Garrus brought two tickets for Fleet and Flotilla then wrapped his arm around Maylea’s waist and steered her towards a small collection of kiosks where he purchased drinks and popcorn for both of them.  
Once they’d taken their seats, Garrus leant a little closer to Maylea. “Sorry if I offended you earlier, at the ticket office. It just seemed more discreet than standing there giving you directions.”  
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t offended.” Maylea glanced at the drink and popcorn Garrus had brought for her, glad that the lighting in the cinema was quite low. “And thank you for these, though it should have been me paying seeing as I’m the one who asked you along.”  
Garrus shrugged and took a quick sip of his drink before putting the cup back into the specially designed holder on the back of the chair in front of his. “If it will stop you feeling guilty, how about you buy me a proper drink once the films finished?”  
Linking her arm through Garrus’, Maylea settled back to watch the film. “As long as we don’t end up in Chora’s Den, it’s a date.”


End file.
